The Black River Pirates will take on the Loudonville Redbirds in a tournament on Wednesday. The two teams are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.
Black River barely beat Firelands the last time the pair played, but that sure wasn't the case this time around. The Pirates put the hurt on the Falcons with a sharp 14-6 win on Friday. The result was nothing new for the Pirates, who have now won 11 games by six runs or more so far this season.
Abbey Kiser
| 05/09/25 @ Firelands | 11 |
| 05/01/25 @ Clearview | 7 |
| 04/29/25 vs Keystone | 3 |
| 04/28/25 @ Columbia | 9 |
| 04/22/25 vs Brookside | 6 |
| + 6 more games |
Abbey Kiser made a big impact while hitting and pitching. On the mound, she struck out 11 batters over seven innings while giving up three earned (and three unearned) runs off ten hits (and only one walk). That's the most strikeouts she has posted since back in April. She was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-4 with two RBI and one double.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Mallory Eckert, who went 1-for-5 with two stolen bases, three runs, and three RBI. That's the most RBI she has posted since back in April. Another player making a difference was Olivia Bailey, who went 2-for-4 with one stolen base, one run, and one double.
Meanwhile, Loudonville made easy work of Lucas on Monday and carried off a 15-6 victory. The Redbirds haven't had any issues with the Cubs recently, as the game was their fifth consecutive win against them.
Like Black River, Loudonville also got a great game from a two-way player: Alesha Felix. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out eight batters over seven innings while giving up five earned (and one unearned) runs off six hits. Felix was even better at the plate, firing off two home runs, seven RBI, and two stolen bases while going 4-for-5.
In other batting news, Addison Wolford was incredible, firing off three triples, three runs, and one stolen base while going 4-for-5. Jocelyn Kegley was another key player, going 4-for-5 with three runs, one triple, and one stolen base.
Loudonville was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .432. That's the best batting average they've posted all season.
Black River is on a roll lately: they've won nine of their last 11 matches. That's provided a nice bump to their 13-7 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.5 runs on average over those games. As for Loudonville, their win bumped their record up to 6-14.
Loudonville's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Black River has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .472. It's a different story for Loudonville, though, as they've only averaged .364. Will they be able to contain Black River's hitters?
Black River skirted past Loudonville 4-3 in their previous matchup back in April of 2017. Do the Pirates have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Redbirds turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
